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November 12, 2013

Girl & the Goat Revisit (Chicago)

A lot has changed since the last time I ate at the Girl & the Goat three years ago. Nowadays, it's nearly impossible to secure a reservation. If you're planning a trip there, my advice is to book early. When I tried booking in mid-July for a late August reservation, I found out that I couldn't get any reservations later than 4:30 pm and earlier than 10:30 until October. Eventually, after obsessively checking OpenTable a few times a day, I managed to snatch up an 8:45 pm cancellation.

Unibroue Ephemere Apple Fruit Beer ($8)

Thai chili bread ($4) with meyer lemon butter and piri piri

It's a bummer that bread is not free here, but as someone totally obsessed with bread, I just had to order it. Personally, I thought that the Asian twist on this bread was interesting, but perhaps not my favourite.

I had no idea what a rangoon is, but our server described it as a tempura fried squash blossom stuffed with crab. According to Wikipedia, it's supposed to be a deep-fried dumpling stuffed with a combination of cream cheese and crab meat, wrapped in Chinese wonton wrappers. I have to say that this elevated version was a lot more appealing than what I saw on Wikipedia. The stuffed squash blossoms were absolutely delicious and I wanted three or four more.

Another favourite of the night! The skate wing was all buttery goodness, but the standout, for me, was the delectable smoked potato purée. It reminded me of hickory sticks, a childhood favourite snack.

I wasn't a huge fan of the beef ribs themselves (the ones from Korean restaurants taste better!), but I liked both the corn and the okra relish.

Peach buckle ($8) graham streusel, sour cream gelato

Even though a peach cobbler is more suitable for fall weather rather than a hot summer day in August, I still fell in love with the dessert. It was gooey, comforting, and exactly what I needed to end off an amazing meal.

We also tried a second dessert, which was much less homey and more refined. Of course, I had no idea what galangal was (turns out it's blue ginger), and I was really hoping for a more traditional napoleon, one of my favourite desserts. However, I have to give it points for creativity, and it was enjoyable overall.

As a huge top chef fan, I was excited to see Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard achieve so much success with her restaurant ventures. Earlier this year, she won best chef, Great Lakes Region, at the prestigious James Beard Awards. Having eaten at Girl & the Goat twice, I truly believe that her accolades are well-deserved. It was an incredible meal and indisputably my favourite from this trip.